The World You Know
by RealCharactersFakeWorld
Summary: Modern Runaway AU: Avoiding the foster care system has been tricky, but Sam and Dean have been at it for long enough now. Finally, they are six months away from the safe zone, when on their way to Indiana they meet a socially awkward boy, Castiel, who intrigues Dean. Not to mention the strange disappearance of a young woman down the road. Destiel fic.
1. Chapter One

A/N: Okay so this may or may not be a filler sort of chapter because I deleted this first chapter and the order is now a little weird, but oh well. So I've been toying with this fic for a little while and I have been really excited to write it, so thank you a million if you do decide to read it! So this is basically an AU where Sam and Dean travel around the U.S as orphans, avoiding the foster care system. Dean is six months away from being eighteen, while Sam is around thirteen or fourteen. This does include Destiel, just as a warning. Thank you so much for your support!


	2. Chapter Two

"Dude, why didn't you just go for a supply run earlier?" Sam asked as he turned back towards the book he was reading. Dean was huffing under his breath, putting on one sock, then the other, then his shoes.

"I wasn't thinking it would get dark so quickly," Dean said as he balanced on a chair behind him, letting out a sigh as the chair tipped away from him and he had to hop to regain his balance.

"Dude. We've been here two whole weeks and you haven't gone out for supplies yet?" Sam let out a soft chuckle as he gave Dean his smart-ass rhetorical question look.

"Don't be going off on me when I know for a fact that you haven't even _begun_ planning our route yet," Dean retorted back irritably, grabbing his jacket off the make-shift coat rack.

"I believe you're supposed to_ help_ me with the route," Sam said, rolling his eyes and returning to his book. Dean rolled his eyes the other direction, then brought his attention back to Sam.

"What are you reading anyway?" he asked, looking over his shoulder. Sam shrugged, engrossed in his book.

"Wait a minute- where did you even get a book?" Dean asked, picking up the book off the table and playfully keeping it just out of Sam's reach.

"Dean!" Sam said, waving his arms wildly in an attempt to grab the book. Dean read the cover of the book and raised his eyebrows thoughtfully.

"Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire..." he said to himself, reading the back. Sam shook his head, giving up on getting the book back. Dean began to give the book back to Sam when he pulled it out of reach again.

"C'mon Dean..." Sam groaned, crossing his arms.

"Seriously, where did you get this book?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"I... got it from that library. Couple towns back," Sam said slowly, looking away cautiously. Dean let out a quick laugh, surprising Sam.

"Awesome," he said under his breath, smiling as he shook his head.

"You know... you won't be able to do this when we're out of this situation," Dean said, sighing. Sam turned his head, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"When we aren't travelling around, hiding from foster care. You're not going to be able to just _rob _libraries. You're going to have to get a _library card," _Dean shrugged nonchalantly. "But you do still have six months. Before I'm eighteen."

"Look, it's not like I _enjoy _robbing libraries," Sam said, sighing. Dean put his hands out and shook his head.

"Just saying. Be back in a few," he said, pressing his two fingers together and bringing them from his forehead as a goodbye.

"Don't forget the cereal this time," Sam called after him. Dean paused, opening the door for a second.

"At least I don't forget the pie," he said coldly, closing the door behind him.

"Honestly," Sam muttered under his breath, "he's never going to let that go."

* * *

Dean left the abandoned cabin behind him, not bothering to drive the Impala just to get some groceries. He could easily do this himself, without wasting anymore gas than he had to.

It was a quiet night, and the trees rustled ahead of him. It was just windy enough to be refreshing without being too cold. He was extremely lucky the weather was in their favor this month, since they often had to make an extra road-trip just to get somewhere warmer in these months. His feet crunched on the autumn leaves beneath him, the red, orange, and yellow leaves littering the ground in a scenic sort of way.

The only thing that seemed to bother Dean was that it was getting dark. And of course darkness wasn't a problem for Dean- he was used to houses with no electricity- but he had often enjoyed the fact that the moon or sun could shed some light. Tonight was not one of those nights. The moon was blanketed by clouds and the sun, of course, had long since retreated. Dean felt as though he was walking through a fog of darkness, which was not a comforting thought.

He gritted his teeth and shoved his hands in his pockets, not wanting for one second to seem as though he was overestimating every sound and rustle around him.

Just as the area around him began to seem even less inviting, he heard a dull sound ahead of him and, with a quick glance, saw a flickering light and a run down store ahead of him. There sat a single bulb in front, with lottery machines and an "out of order" soda machine that looked as though it hadn't been touched in centuries. The door was covered in ads that ranged from the current week to maybe a year ago, and the only thing that really made the store look like an actual store was the fact that inside, there seemed to be well stocked shelves and two people.

At a closer look, there was a woman. Most certainly not unattractive in any way. She had short, pixie cut blonde hair and a pierced ear, nose, and lip. She wore a pink tank top and jeans that seemed to just barely cover her ankles, and green flip flops that oddly contrasted with her outfit.

However, she was not alone. Next to her stood... some person who wore a long trench coat. The coat practically hit the floor, yet barely covered their long arms. The person had long legs and a long torso, seemingly lanky from the looks of it. The person has short, unruly dark hair that didn't seem to want to cooperate with it's owner. Not only that, but Dean could have sworn that the person was definitely, in some undefinable way, attractive.

The door pushed open easily, Dean giving a nod and a smile towards the woman.

"Well would you look at that," she said, her eyes glancing at her conversation partner, then back at Dean. Dean shot her a confused glance and her face crinkled into an adorable smile as she looked back at the person in front of her and winked. The person shook their head, sighing softly.

"No offense but I don't think I've met you before," Dean said, putting his hands out and shrugging. The girl laughed again, putting her hand out confidently.

"Gina," she said, then motioning towards her friend, "this is my lovely chap Cas," she said. Dean put his hand out as he saw the person turn around, but stopped when he realized the person was not a female.

"Salutations," he said in a deep voice, putting his hand out to shake Dean's. He couldn't help but stare. He was immediately lost in his ridiculously blue eyes, and when he tried to look away he found himself shooting his eyes towards the floor.

"Salutations, huh?" he asked in a deep voice, laughing softly. He heard Gina scoff.

"That's just his way of talking. He just loves big words," she said softly, winking again at her friend. Cas blushed for a second, then returned to his previous composure.

"I do not believe I've made your acquaintance yet," he said, looking away after a couple seconds. "I'm Castiel. But my friends... Gina, in general... address me as Cas." Dean didn't know how to respond for a few seconds, only to clear his throat and respond as simply as he could.

"Dean W-" he stopped himself, confused. He never said his last name. It was rule number one of anything. "Dean," he said again, his confidence regained.

"Well nice to meet you Dean," Gina said, offering him a grin. Her smile, contagiously, caused Dean to grin back as well.

"I do not gather you're a familiar around here," Cas said, observing Dean carefully. Dean chuckled, shaking his head.

"No, you're right there Vin Diesel," he said, poking fun at his deep voice, "my parents are just taking care of some family business and then we're headed off to Indiana," Dean said, nodding to himself.

"Well I certainly hope everything works itself out with the family... although I wouldn't mind you staying around," Gina said, winking at Dean playfully.

"Well I suppose if we must stay any longer it wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience," Dean said smoothly, looking Gina in the eye as he said it. Gina giggled to herself, looking away.

"Not to cause any disappointments," Cas said after a couple seconds, looking at Dean with a blank expression, "but Gina isn't attracted to the male gender." Dean's eyebrows pressed together, then he registered what was being said. He blushed slightly. Gina giggled again, putting her fist out to Cas. He pushed his against hers unsurely.

"Sorry buddy, it's just that I had a bet to successfully hit on at least five painfully heterosexual males this week. You're my fourth one... And all I need is another dude to flirt with and I'll have won twenty bucks," Gina said proudly. Dean whistled, nodding his head in approval.

"Sounds like my kind of bet," he said, still blushing.

After a while, Dean eventually realized how much time had passed and quickly bought as many groceries as be could without forgetting anything essential. At this point, Sam had probably been home alone for a good two hours, and he probably thought something had happened to him. And of course this was apparent to both Gina and Cas.

"Why in such a hurry hetero?" Gina asked from her counter, looking over at Cas for some sort of answer.

"My brother's home alone and I don't... want him to worry," Dean said absently, shoving objects from the shelves into his bag.

"Well then I wish you the best of luck... see you soon, right?" Gina said, opening a magazine and putting her feet up next to the cash register. Dean nodded, then, as he turned to leave, came face to face with Cas. Dean flushed yet again, his nose practically touching the nose in front of him. Cas squinted at him, as if trying to decipher something.

"Could you... take a step back there buddy?" Dean asked after a while, avoiding looking at Cas. Cas ignored his obvious discomfort, then finally stepping back after a look of amusement from Gina.

"Are you aware of how to navigate your way around the town?" Cas eventually asked, looking away from Dean. Dean began to say yes, then realized that he was not actually as aware as he would like to be. He sighed, scratching the back of his head then sheepishly shaking his head.

"Actually not really," he said finally, shrugging casually. Cas nodded, then took a couple bags from Dean.

"What area are you occupying currently?" Cas asked as they began to leave the store.

"I'm a couple blocks out," Dean lied, giving a wave back towards Gina.

"That is helpful. I'm familiar with that area," Cas said, smiling politely at Dean.

The minute they exited, Gina gave a quick glance at the ceiling as she calculated something in her head.

"I'll probably have to tally that bet back down to a three."

* * *

After a while of just the sound of leaves under their shoes, Cas initiated conversation as best he could without Gina around.

"I understand you're visiting family here?" Cas asked, letting out a breath once he finished, the cold causing it to be visible in the moon light. Luckily, it was brighter now than before.

"Yeah, that's the gist of it," Dean responded, kicking a rock with his shoe.

"To whom are your relations? Perhaps I'm acquainted with them," Cas said, looking around him at the scenery surrounding.

"Oh you... probably wouldn't. They don't really leave their house," he said, sweat forming at the top of his head despite the cold.

"I know most everyone in this town..." Cas lingered, shaking his head after a second, "though perhaps you're right. I may not know them personally," he said.

"Yeah they... don't like people. We're just visiting to... settle a bet from a few years ago," Dean said, his voice nearly catching near the end. He felt strange, lying to Cas. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he didn't feel the need to dwell on it.

"That seems reasonable enough," Cas said. There was no noise for a few moments, the only sound the rustling of leaves and crunching of dirt under their shoes. But it was a comfortable silence, somehow. Everything else about the person seemingly uncomfortable, the shared silence seemed to be something Dean didn't mind.

The silence continued only a few more minutes as Cas seemed to become a different type of silent.  
"What is it Cas?" Dean asked as he watched Cas's eyes scan around them.

"Dean..." Cas said, pointing ahead of them. It wouldn't have been so worrying had there been perhaps an abandoned car or a person walking the streets around. But instead, there seemed to be a swarm of police cars, officers, and crime scene tape, all surrounding a no longer quaint yellow house.


	3. Chapter Three

For Dean, the situation sank in slowly. The police, the yellow tape, and lights flashing everywhere. For Cas, however, he was on his feet immediately, approaching the nearest officer. Dean, foggily, followed him, still trying to piece together what had happened.

"The neighbors heard screams... so they called us and..." the officer stopped to give Cas a woeful look, "well, no residence." Cas nodded soberly, looking over the house with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Cas can I talk to you a minute?" Dean asked softly, observing Cas's facial expressions to see any sort of cracks in his composure.

"Certainly. Excuse me officer," Cas said, giving a polite nod. Dean looked around anxiously, the entire surrounding area telling him to run, but the person in front of him somehow, quietly, asking him to stay.

"Did you- I mean, do you know this guy?" Dean asked, looking over Cas's face for any sort of answer. Cas didn't seem to respond in expressions, but in the way he shifted his body slightly.

"Actually it was a woman," he said, sighing softly, "I don't understand what could have happened to her. She was very well respected." Cas looked away, shaking his head, his forehead displaying two crease-marks between his eyebrows.

"Dude do you... do you need anything?" Dean asked, shifting Cas's attention from the crime scene back to him and looking him over. He tried to give a sympathetic smile, but it seemed to have a negative effect on Cas. He shook his head, looking back towards the house.

"It's okay, I'll investigate this more thoroughly tomorrow," he looked back towards Dean, "I should escort you to your house first-"

"No I-" Dean said curtly, then after a second of exasperation, he shook his head. "No I... I'm all set. You obviously have some shit to deal with," Dean licked his lips, trying his best not to look nervous.

"Are you certain?" Cas asked, causing Dean to scoff.

"Jesus Cas, I'm not an infant. I'll find my way," he said, realizing only after he'd said it that he had referred to Cas as if he knew him. Cas didn't seem to have an initial reaction, so Dean didn't trouble himself with it. Dean zipped his jacket, rubbing his arms to recirculate the blood.

"I'll see you around, okay?" Dean said, looking around him and taking his leave. Cas nodded, his eyes focused on something in the distance.

"Goodbye," Cas said, giving a faint smile- one more forced than felt- in Dean's direction.

Dean started on his way, thinking over everything that had happened in such a short amount of time. He had found out that a woman had been abducted from her home, and that Cas had some sort of connection to her. Dean sincerely hoped that he was not so close that he was hurt-or even afraid- due to her disappearance. Every part of Dean wanted to somehow protect Cas from whatever was out there, whether it be a person or just the fear that comes along with someone being taken away so suddenly.

He couldn't explain why, but he felt responsible for the guy. He seemed to be someone Dean wanted to care for, but not in the way he cared for Sam. A different way. He just wanted to make sure things didn't go to hell while he was watching.

Dean had walked for a few minutes when he heard footsteps behind him. He stopped cold, chills sent up his spine. His heart began to beat faster, trying not to act as though he could tell he was being tailed. He reached for the gun in his inner jacket, but then decided against it. There were officers not far from there. He would have to face this problem head on.

He turned slowly, only to see Cas standing behind him. Dean let out a sigh of relief as he registered it was just Castiel.

"Jesus Christ Cas you scared the shit out of me," Dean said, laughing nervously. Cas did not say anything in a response, he only reached into his trench coat pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Dean frowned, reading the paper with his eyebrows crushed together in confusion.

"I... this is a number to call for child's therapy," Dean said, not knowing how to respond to the situation.

"No I... I'm not offering that service in particular," Cas said, smiling for real this time, "but this is the number to the residence I am staying in. Could you call me if you need any more assistance... before you leave?"

Dean didn't know what to say. Inside, he had a strange form of ecstasy, for reasons he did not quite want to indulge himself in. He gave a lopsided smile and a chuckle.

"Yes I'll... I'll definitely call you up. But I'm not in town much longer..."

"I'm aware. I was just hoping you would contact me before you depart," he said, a twinkle apparent in Cas's eyes. Dean rolled his eyes, shaking his head playfully.

"I'll definitely make sure to then," he said, flirtatiously winking at Cas. It was Cas's turn to roll his eyes, sighing.

"Painfully heterosexual indeed," he mocked, winking back. Dean raised his two fingers in a salute and turned back towards the road.

"And don't follow me this time," Dean said as he turned slightly towards Cas, laughing.

"I don't intend to," Cas said back, waving as Dean turned back around.

They both separated ways but there was only one thing on both of their minds; the yellow house around the corner.

* * *

"Where the hell were you?" Sam said as Dean walked in, Sam rising from his chair instantly. Worry was easily read across his face. He walked towards Dean, searching for answers.

"Slow down for a second," Dean said, raising his hands up for attention. He placed his bags on the table, then looked back at Sam.

"I was just shopping. I met some friends-"

"Friends? But Dean you said we weren't supposed-"

"I never said that! I just meant that you can't tell them about us," Dean retorted back, shaking his head.

"Dean-"

"Hang on, let me finish!" Dean said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He then looked back towards Sam once it was quiet again.

"I was talking to some friends and we were headed back here-"

"You told them where we live?" Sam asked, panic in his gaze.

"It's not what you think; they don't know anything," he said, beginning to unload the groceries in the bags.

"Okay, so?" Sam asked, looking around nervously as though he expected one of Dean's friends to pop up and slit his throat.

"We were walking and we saw a crime scene up the street." Dean prepared himself for the "you were around police officers?" speech that he had given to Sam a thousand times, but instead he was greeted by silence.

"A crime scene?" Sam asked incredulously. Dean looked him over suspiciously, then nodded.

"Yeah."

"What... what happened?" he asked, not exactly concerned but interested.

"A woman disappeared," he said, slightly worried about Sam's sudden shift from fear to intrigue.

"How did she-"

"I don't know Sam! I honestly have no idea. No one has any idea," Dean interrupted irritably. Sam sighed, pouting, then shifting his attention to Dean's hands.

"What are you holding anyway?" Sam asked. Dean looked at his hand then flushed, looking away quickly.

"I... a number," he said quietly, hoping that the subject would shift quickly.

"A number?" Sam asked in confusion. His face soon switched from confusion to a bitch face.

"Oh my god Dean please tell me you aren't hooking up with someone," Sam said in vexation. Dean shook his head, groaning.

"Sam, I couldn't if I tried! We only have one more night and the only girl I met wasn't even into guys," he interjected quickly. Sam shook his head and began looking over the groceries, before grabbing the paper out of Dean's hand while he wasn't looking.

"Hey!" Dean said, trying to grab the paper back. Sam began to read the paper out loud.

"Child therapy, the place where imaginary friends come to die-" Sam stopped, registering the information in his head and becoming speechless. He looked at Dean, dubiously, who angrily grabbed the paper from Sam. A long silence filled the room before Sam finally shook his head again.

"I don't know how to respond to that," he said. Dean rolled his eyes, putting the paper in his pocket.

"That's not why I have the paper, dumbass. It's this Cas person's home number, apparently," he said sarcastically.

"Cas? I thought you said you didn't hook up with any girls..."

"Okay first of all, it's a dude, okay?" Dean said, rubbing his temples. "And second of all..." he paused thoughtfully, sighing. "I'm not sure what I was going to say. It's late, let's go to bed." Sam moaned as he slammed onto the dusty couch next to him.

"I'm sleeping here tonight," he said, closing his eyes.

"Suit yourself," Dean said, unrolling his sleeping bag. They settled into the darkness, the comfortable silence enveloping them.

"Night Dean."

"Night Sam."

"Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Is she hot?"

"The lesbian chick?"

"Yeah."

"Very."

"And what about the other one?"

"What other one?"

"Cas."

"Oh fuck you."

"Love you too."


	4. Chapter Four

"This is stupid," Dean said as they stood in front of Cas's door. Sam pressed the door bell and shifted back next to Dean, letting out a sigh.

"Oh come on," he said, giving Dean a once over and smiling, "I just want to ask him some stuff about the house."

"You know," Dean said, shrugging to himself, "I think it's a little weird how much interest you have in this. I mean, for all we know, that woman could be dead, or worse." As he finished the sentence, the door swung open, a woman behind it.

Her hair was disheveled and she looked tired, puffy bags resting under her eyes. When she saw them she let out a soft sigh and a chuckle.

"Dean, right?" she said, wiping a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Dean looked at her in confusion, a huge smile on Sam's face.

"Oh so you've heard about him?" Sam said cheekily, Dean kicking him not so discreetly.

"Actually yes," she said, laughing softly at the two. "I was also informed he had a little brother... that's you I'm guessing?" she said, her eyes directed towards Sam. He nodded, giving Dean a sideways glance as if to ask why he'd come up in a conversation. Dean Shrugged sheepishly.

"I'm Sam," he said, putting his hand out for her to shake. She shook it gratefully.

"I'm Castiel's aunt. It's awesome to see that he is making friends besides Gina."

"Well, Gina's a wonderful girl," Dean said, smiling politely. She nodded, smiling.

"I know. She most certainly is. I always hoped they'd end up together but, Gina isn't really into him. Or guys in general," she said, sighing. "But I'm glad that he is capable of making friends outside of Gina. Well anyway, come in!" she said, gesturing into the house.

The house was small; it didn't look like many people lived there. There was an upstairs that seemed to split into two different bedrooms. On the main floor, there was a kitchen, dining room, living room, and a bathroom. Dean could infer that Cas was an only child.

"So you're his aunt?" Dean asked, not wanting to bring up any uncomfortable subjects but also being interested in where Cas's parents were.

"Uh... yeah. Cas's parents... well, they're gone now. So I take care of him." She looked off, computing something in her head. "It's just me and him here."

Dean nodded, not wanting to pry anymore into the subject. Sam, however, seemed ready to burst with questions. Luckily, he decided not to ask. Suddenly, the stairs creaked and they all turned towards the stairs, Cas looking towards Dean with an unexplainably warm smile.

"I apologize for the inconvenience," Cas said, smiling apologetically, "I didn't mean to keep you waiting this long." Dean looked away, hiding a smile.

"It's fine, Cas," Dean said, nodding.

"Well I have to head off to work... I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" his aunt said, hugging Cas to her and giving him a quick kiss on the forehead.

"I would suggest copious amounts of coffee," Cas said to her, smiling slightly. She laughed at his comment, sighing.

"Yeah, that'd probably be the best idea, wouldn't it?" she patted his shoulder, then gave a glance at the two boys next to her, taking a special interest in Dean.

"Nothing weird while I'm gone, okay?" she said teasingly, giving a smirk Dean's way. He tried to hide his embarrassment by laughing along.

"Of course..." he paused, "what can I call you?"

"Miss Novak would be just great," she said, walking out the door.

"Bye Dean, Sam, Cas," she said, waving to them without looking back. She got into the car and left a couple seconds later, leaving behind a silent Sam, Dean, and Cas.

Finally, Cas turned towards Sam. "You must be Dean's younger sibling," he said, looking over Sam as if to confirm that yes, they were indeed related.

"Yeah, actually. You must be Cas," he said, grinning. He looked back at Dean, mouthing "you were right".

"Yeah, this is my brother," he said, then he mouthed at Sam "about what?". Sam responded with one word, "voice". Dean thought about it, then nodded.

"I remember you specifying this visit to be for Sam's purposes," Cas began, looking over Sam with curiosity.

"Yeah, well, Sam's being a dork and just wanted to ask you a few questions," he said, rolling his eyes. Sam scoffed, shaking his head at Dean.

"I mean, if it isn't any bother, I'd just like to know a little more about the woman down the road." Cas nodded, squinting at Sam as if he would be able to understand his motives.

"I wouldn't be bothered. You can ask me if you'd like," Cas said, walking away as he spoke. Dean and Sam shot each other confused glances, Dean shrugging as if to say "I've only know him a day".

"Dean... I thought you had informed me you were only staying one more day," Cas said, his voice a clear indication to follow him into the living room. Dean and Sam followed.

"Well we were but... the family bet got a little more complicated. Uncle Ernie refuses to pay the money back and... it's very complicated." The look Sam gave him was clearly a face of accusation. Dean motioned for him to just go with it.

"Yeah, Uncle Ernie. Honestly, I feel like _we_ _didn't_ _even_ _try_ _that_ _hard_," he said, making a reference towards Dean's crappy lying skills.

"Well that's a shame. I hope he comes around to repaying you," Cas said sincerely, not understanding the obvious undertone in the conversation.

"So get this," Sam began as they sat down, attempting to shift the conversation away from Dean's lie, "I was researching on this last night-"

"Seriously? I thought you went to sleep," Dean moaned, resting his head on the back of the sofa and shutting his eyes. Sam rolled his eyes, ignoring Dean, and continued.

"Anyway," Sam continued, "this isn't the first disappearance around here."

Both Dean and Cas came to attention. Dean shot a worried glance towards Cas, then back towards Sam.

"What?" he asked dubiously, unsure of what exactly to take from this.

"I mean... last year, there was a disappearance. Two years ago. Three years ago," Sam paused abruptly when he realized Cas had went completely silent.

"I'm sorry should I..." Sam lingered, looking over towards Dean. Dean looked at Cas as well, as if to read his thoughts.

"No, it's fine. I apologize I was just... distracted. Continue," Cas said, not bothering to bring his attention back to them. Dean shrugged again, and Sam continued.

"Well, you see, these disappearances are annual. Once every year... on the same day. And it seemed like one hell of a coincidence... I was wondering if you knew anything."

"Why would he know anything, Sam?" Dean asked in slight agitation, not knowing whether he should be protective of Cas or asking him questions like Sam was.

"No, no way," he said, smiling politely, "I'm just curious if he knows anything." Cas didn't seem to react for a few seconds, but then he turned quickly towards Sam.

"I do have knowledge on this subject," Cas said quietly, computing something in his head and then rising from his seat, heading upstairs. Sam and Dean exchanged glances again, then headed up after him.

They walked up the stairs into a room filled with pictures on the walls. It was the first thing Dean noticed. And it wasn't pictures of Cas. It was just people. They were smiling and laughing, and they were hugging each other. A couple pictures showed a girl and a boy, another picture showed a blonde haired kid. In some of the pictures Cas was present, but before he could really observe the pictures around him, Sam was calling Dean towards him.

"Dean... you have to see this," Sam said. Dean suddenly felt a feeling of dread wash over him. The tone of Sam's voice almost scared him. It was fascination but... it was more than that.

"I... am not supposed to have access to this video. I'd gotten curious and I... had found a way to compromise the servers," Cas said. Observing Cas's face only encouraged Dean's fear. He was void of emotion almost always but... this time, he had a hint of despair.

"Did you ever watch it?" Sam asked, looking over the video.

"No," Cas answered, sighing. "I was never given opportunity and when I was I had already dismissed the idea of watching it."

"Is there a real reason you didn't watch it?" Dean asked, crossing his arms as he looked towards the video. Cas sighed, shaking his head, then nodding.

"I was told not to," he said. Dean wanted to ask, but Sam shot him a warning glance. Sam was good at knowing what not to say, and Dean often trusted his instincts.

"So are we going to watch it?" Sam asked after a few seconds of silence. Cas didn't respond, he only placed the laptop on his desk and pressed play.

The video was obviously surveillance footage. Dean was extremely curious as to how Cas had hacked into the servers but he knew it was best not to ask for both of their sakes.

The video was blurry. It was night time. The camera filmed a large, white house. The video was glitch, and every so often, it would have a short spasm and then return to normal.

"What is this footage of anyway?" Sam asked quietly, watching the video closely.

"This... is before the occurrence of a disappearance. Two people disappeared," Cas responded, intrigued by the video.

Suddenly, a person appeared on the video. He was tall, unruly, and grey. Grey in an unexplainable... impossible way. And he opened the door.

The next thing that happened... they still didn't understand. They still bickered about it three years afterwards. But the record mainly showed this: the man came out, with a woman and a man, dragging them out of their home.

And then they disappeared.


	5. Chapter Five

A/N: Sorry for the late update! Homework and play practice is hectic. So anyway you guys are super awesome so thank you so much for everything you've done, whether you read, favorite, follow, or review! So if I do make a mistake don't hesitate to call me out as kindly as you can and I'll fix it ASAP.

* * *

Silence met by more silence. Dean was used to a blank expression from Cas but this... was more than blank. It was a sort of a resigned... contentedness... and it scared Dean shitless.

"Sam I need to talk to you real quick," Dean said after a moment, his voice in a whisper. Sam looked at him, as if to read his intentions, but Dean only nodded his head towards the hall. Sam signaled a single finger, then began talking to Cas quietly. Dean stepped into the hall, waiting for Sam.

There were even more photos in the halls. They were hung everywhere, from the doors to the wall behind them to the wall surrounding the stairs. With a quick glance, there was one picture that caught Dean's attention.

There was eight people in the photo. In the back stood two adults, who looked eerily familiar, and two other adults in front of them. The first couple were smiling contentedly, holding each other. Dean could only assume they were married. The couple in front seemed much happier, the woman flashing a ring to the camera while holding her, Dean guessed her fiancé, tightly. Then, there was a younger version of Miss Novak, who was hugging a girl with blonde hair close to her. Next to the girl was a tall boy with dark hair and... Cas.

Were they cousins? Or were they siblings? Dean shook his head, not wanting to think about the picture any longer. Sam finally came into the hall and immediately Dean burst out with agitation.

"We have to leave," Dean said, not wanting to meet Sam's eyes.

"Dean-"

"Soon!" he said quickly, interrupting Sam. Sam scoffed, his eyes wide. He began to whisper harshly.

"Look, I get it! This is disturbing shit but-"

"No, Sam, you don't get it, okay? This thing is-"

"Don't rag on about 'me being safe' or so help me-"

"Sam! We can't afford this! We are so close. Six months, Sam!" Dean said, his voice rising above a whisper just enough that Cas turned his head towards them. He turned back after a couple seconds, and Sam and Dean continued to argue.

"Dean! We can help people for once! We can't just let this happen," Sam said in anger.

"Sam, I know you're all about helping the people but you're a fucking thirteen year old kid and-"

"Don't!" Sam yelled, Cas didn't bother to turn towards them this time. Dean crossed his arms in irritation, avoiding Sam's eyes still.

"Don't. You. Dare. Do that. We heard enough of that from Dad," Sam continued, returning to a whisper. Dean reached a new level of outrage.

"Shut up okay, not everything needs to be about Dad!" Dean said, not caring about the volume that his voice met.

"Well maybe we should stop running! Stop ignoring things because eventually it's going to catch up to us and-"

"Would you shut up about that?" Dean yelled. Realizing what was being said, Dean went white. They were silent for a few seconds.

"That... only happened once. We only ignored something once. Nobody really got hurt. We had to do what was best for us, okay?" Dean said quietly, sighing. Sam looked ready to apologize, but irritation still displayed across his face.

"I couldn't help but overhear-" Cas began, but stopped when Dean jumped in surprise.

"Jesus Christ Cas!" Dean exclaimed, thankful for the interruption.

"I apologize again," Cas said softly, then returning to his previous statement, "I believe your brother is correct."

"My brother- what?" Dean asked, looking from Cas to Sam.

"You should help me investigate this," he said, squinting at the room around him, "I would most likely require help on this-"

"You know what Cas?" Dean said, glowing with infuriation, "we don't need to help you. We need to leave."

"But your Uncle Ernie-"

"We don't want a part of something we don't even understand!" Dean said, shaking his head firmly. Both Cas and Sam fell silent, listening to the sound of wind outside the room. Cas looked toward Dean, wanting to say something, anything, to deter him from his decision. But Dean was firm in his decision, and Sam knew it would be a pain in the ass to convince him when they had just hashed it out. Dean wanted to leave as fast as he could, the pictures around him leaving him with an eerie sense of sadness.

"Let's go," Dean said quietly, his eyes begging Sam to come with him.

"Dean, I-" Cas began, but Dean raised his hand up as if to ask for silence. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Cas-" Dean said, then sighed. "It's okay. Really. I want to help you but... we're not sure yet, okay?" Cas looked hurt but nodded softly.

"I understand," Cas said, looking back towards the room, the laptop, then back at Sam and Dean.

What Dean didn't know, as they left without another word was that there was a silent agreement hanging in the room. It started with a few whispers between Cas and Sam, then ended with a noiseless verification of their intentions. Later that day, Sam would go home and research. Cas would continue to look into whatever they were up against. But this was unknown to Dean, so he went home, resting assured that Sam was safe.

But something still bothered him. Was it Cas? He had only known the guy a day and he felt this sort of... payment was due to him. To help him figure out what was happening.

As Dean turned to look back towards the ceiling, he couldn't help but allow his thoughts to drift back to the photos. His aunt had said it was just them... and something about that put Dean off. What had happened to the people in the photo? Were they gone or were they never really there?


	6. Chapter Six

A/N: An astonishing lack of authors notes on my part. Not sure if it is preferable that way or whatever but anyway just a quick thanks and most likely an apology for most likely making a mistake in here somewhere that I probably missed. Anyway, you're all awesome and congratulations!

* * *

Dean had no idea why he was at Cas's house so early in the morning. He had no right to be there and he'd only known Cas a couple of days. And yet there he stood, waiting- hoping- that Cas wouldn't be too bothered by his early morning presence.

He wasn't planning on being there so early- in fact, it hadn't even crossed his mind until this morning when he woke up. He'd seen Sam and... he had to sort his thoughts.

He looked around the house quickly, noticing there were no cars there. He thought maybe now wouldn't be the best time, but then he knocked on the door and he knew he couldn't leave anymore.

There was shuffling behind the door, and then the door swung open, revealing a very sleepy eyed Cas. He was dressed in a robe, which was not tied around his waist but instead showed that he had been wearing boxers and a white shirt underneath. Dean pretended not to notice, and cleared his throat. He looked down, then back up at Cas. He regretted it instantly as he got lost in Cas's hazy blue eyes.

"Dean I... did not expect you. I was assuming that Sara had been locked out again," Cas said, a sleepy smile on his face. Dean cocked his head in question.

"Sara?"

"Apologies. You would most likely know her as Miss Novak," Cas said, shrugging his shoulders. He motioned for Dean to come inside, to which Dean responded to by awkwardly shuffling in.

"You don't seem to have a problem with me being here so early," Dean said, chuckling softly.

"Well I am quite accustomed to letting people in, I suppose. And by people, I imply Gina," Cas said, shrugging again. Dean couldn't help but to glance every so often at Cas, stupidly checking to see if Cas's eyes were still just as blue as previous. Something about the early morning just made Cas seem much more... bright.

The house was filled with early morning summer sunlight, which twinkled on the glass coffee table and reflected off of the tv, which looked as though it hadn't been used in a while. Everything about the house seemed to create a sort of atmosphere... a feeling he could somehow associate with Cas and Sara Novak. But of course, there was something very empty about the house, which lie beneath the cheeriness of the place.

"You seem to be contemplating something," Cas eventually stated. By now he had drifted into the kitchen and grabbed a coffee, sipping it quickly even though Dean could tell it was extremely hot.

"Well I... came over to ask you... about something," Dean said vaguely, trailing off every so often only to pick up his words again.  
"I am assuming you have changed your mind," Cas said, taking another sip of coffee and sitting stiffly on the couch. Something about Cas was very conflicting in his ways and manners.

"Well, yes. Sort of," Dean said, letting out a breath and looking away nervously, "I kind of just wanted to apologize. For last night."

Cas was quiet for a moment, then he looked embarrassed as he stood back up and looked towards the floor.

"I suppose you have figured out our scheme by now," Cas said, looking up and then down again, like a guilty puppy. Dean let the smallest bit of agitation show.

"You too?" Dean scoffed in disbelief, then shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"I saw him with his laptop next to him and I could tell," Dean said, "I mean, I sort of regret finding a place that could reach free WiFi." Dean allowed a small smile to show Cas that he wasn't mad.

"I am detecting a note of forgiveness," Cas said, a hopeful smile on his face. Dean rolled his eyes, sighing slightly.

"You're detecting correctly, I guess; I want in, to help you. I don't want you guys getting into anything weird if I can't be there to assist," he put his hands out as if to signal defeat.

"I'm glad you have accepted to help us with this," Cas said, "but couldn't this have waited until a little later in the morning?" Dean laughed, glad to shift the attention in the subject.

"Well it looks like you were already awake anyway," Dean said teasingly.

"I had been sleeping on the couch when you arrived," Cas said sheepishly, or as sheepishly as he could manage. Dean could tell he had been sleeping on the couch- the couch was messy, as if to match with Cas's morning look- and Dean could also tell, from the bags under his eyes, that he hadn't slept very well.

"Is your aunt still sleeping?" Dean asked, looking around the house curiously.

"Sara works the night shift... She doesn't come home until an hour from now and she knocks out right away," Cas looked ready to continue, but he must have thought it would be irrelevant, because he paused, then closed his mouth.

For a moment, the room felt as though it was cheerful and calm, like there was no other feeling to the place- all Dean could see was Cas's sleepy smile and bright eyes, the early morning sun lighting up the room in the brightest pinks and reds. But that faded soon, and left a cold shell. A shell of something not quite discovered, or explained, like there was something in the room no one wanted to talk about but it was still there.

"Is there anything else you are wanting to inquire?" Cas said after a couple seconds, observing Dean's facial expressions.

"One more thing actually," Dean said, wanting to address the photo upstairs. Everything about that photo was begging for some questions to be answered. Begging for an explanation. Dean felt that once that question was answered, the empty feeling would disappear. But then he looked at Cas- really looked at him- and he knew he couldn't ask.

"When do we begin?"


	7. Chapter Seven

A/N: Happy Sunday, guys! So thank you so much for your support and thank you for even just reading. I love writing this so I'm glad that you guys enjoy it so far. Anyway, this is a lighter chapter for the most part, so enjoy!

* * *

The early morning faded away quickly as Dean snuck back into the house, went back to bed, and woke up again around noon to the sound of Sam clacking away on his laptop. Dean groaned as he got out of bed and approached Sam with an annoyed look on his face.

"It's too early Sam," Dean said, yawning and heading towards a bag of groceries on the table. Sam sighed loudly as turned his laptop to face Dean, pointing at the clock on the screen. He raised his eyebrows as Dean realized it was no longer morning but afternoon.

"Oh," he said, looking down at the cereal box he held in one hand, then shrugged as he poured it straight into his mouth.

"Dude," Sam said disgustedly, turning back towards his screen and continuing to type. Dean looked over his shoulder as Sam typed up something on a document.

"What are you doing anyway?" Dean asked. Sam paused, looking just past Dean for a second, then responding easily.

"Just some statistical stuff," Sam said, shrugging. Dean could tell he was lying on the basis that one, he had looked away from Dean for a second to formulate a lie, and then responded painlessly. And two, Sam also happened to use big words when he lied. Dean had taught Sam how to lie so he was quite skilled in pinning down when Sam was lying or not.

Dean knew, however, exactly what Sam was doing; he was researching again, just like Cas had been. But instead of causing an argument, he just looked away as he muttered "nerd" under his breath. He poured more cereal into his mouth and chewed loudly. Sam gave him a look, then went back to his computer.

For a moment, it was silent as Dean contemplated his next action. Should he call Sam out? Sam had, after all, completely ignored Dean's instructions and had done exactly what Dean had asked him not to do. And he continued to lie about it. However, Dean couldn't help but feel responsible, somehow, to help Sam and Cas. He didn't know this woman, and neither did Sam, but he _did_ know that this was there last time there, and that this problem wouldn't fix itself.

He finally decided on giving into what Sam and Cas wanted. The only way out was through and Dean knew the sooner he accepted that the better off they'd be.

"Sam..." Dean began, then trailed off. He rubbed the back of his neck apologetically as Sam met his eyes. "I know you've been researching."

Sam went pale as a sheet as he stuttered a nervous reply. "Researching? No... I was just-" Sam stopped midsentence, hanging his head. "Are you mad?"

"A little," Dean began, looking off and then looking back towards Sam, "but not really. I get it. I guess."

Sam smiled wider than Dean had seen in a while... it almost frightened him how long it had been. And this wasn't even something of much import. Yet Sam grinned for a while, pretending not to be as happy as he was. Dean ruffled Sam's hair and laughed to himself.

"God Sammy you are such a nerd," Dean said, hiding his own smile.

"How did you find out anyway?" Sam asked, looking back towards his laptop and opening the tab Dean could tell he had been hiding.

"I... saw you with your laptop," Dean started, not sure if he should tell Sam about going over to Cas's house. He decided against it, since he didn't quite know how to initiate the conversation anyway.

"And?" Sam prompted. Dean shrugged nonchalantly, his eyes trailing towards the window.

"I could assume from there," Dean said slowly, not looking at Sam. Sam scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah. Right," Sam said sarcastically as he shook his head and shut his laptop. He placed his laptop in it's case and then looked towards the door.

"So, you ready to go?" Sam asked, looking towards Dean then back at the door. Dean smiled, placing the cereal box back on the counter and throwing on a leather jacket and boots.

"Let's head, dork."

* * *

The walk to Cas's house was a cold one but Dean and Sam certainly had a lot to talk about, Sam focusing especially on what he referred to as "the case". Sam rattled on about what he thought could have happened, what the video could mean, something about a video glitch, and he especially enjoyed covering the topic of how whoever was doing this was doing it in an annual pattern. Dean listened in a numb silence, commenting every once in a while, but what he really focused on was how excited Sam seemed to be about the subject. How long had it been since Sam had talked about _anything _this much, with such an excited tone? Never? Dean couldn't help but somehow feel like that was his fault.

"...Are you listening Dean?" Sam asked, sounding slightly hurt. Dean nodded, repeating the last thing Sam said. Sam smiled again and continued on about a theory he had, but Dean could see Cas's house up ahead. This time, there was a car in front of the house. That meant that Miss Novak- or Sara Novak- had gotten home.

Eventually they stood in front of the door, Dean knocking again and waiting as he heard footsteps approach the door, a pause as the door unlocked, and the door swinging open. Cas looked much different than he had earlier that morning. He was no longer dressed in his robe, white shirt, and boxers, but he was now dressed in nice jeans, a black shirt, and his hair was combed neatly. He gave a very awkward smile as he looked towards Sam and gave a small nod.

"Hello Sam," he said as he nodded, "And Dean. Nice to make your acquaintance again." Dean panicked slightly, hoping Sam wouldn't pick up on the note of familiarity on his tongue. Sam did not notice.

"Hey Cas... I hope we aren't here too early," Sam said sheepishly, as he followed Cas inside. Cas chuckled, looking back at Dean.

"I would hardly call this early considering all that's happened today," Cas said, a twinkle in eyes as he spoke. Dean blushed, looking away and rubbing his head. Sam caught the notion and turned towards Dean, who was blushing and looking away. Sam looked ready to laugh, but he held it in.

"Seriously?" he said as he turned towards Dean, who refused to meet his eyes. He laughed, looking back from Cas to Dean.

"It's not what you think..." Dean said, looking ready to burst with agitation.

"I don't understand... he simply came over to discuss something with me. It was a minor occasion," Cas said, looking confused. Sam tried his hardest not to burst- he didn't want to confuse Cas anymore than he already had- as he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He looked back towards Dean, who's eyes were glued to something out the window.

"How early did you come, Dean?" Sam asked, his face red from holding in a laugh. Dean sighed, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Four-ish," Dean said, sighing softly. Sam nodded thoughtfully, allowing a large smile to slowly escape on his lips.

"Did you also talk about your feelings together while drinking a cup of coffee?" Dean looked desperately over to Cas, hoping to stop the words that would come from his mouth any second, inevitably. Dean was too late.

"Well we did share a cup of coffee together-" Cas couldn't finish as Dean let his head fall back, groaning loudly as Sam began laughing uncontrollably over his own bad sense of humor. Cas looked as conflicted as ever, watching Sam with concern as he wiped tears from his eyes and Dean squeezed the bridge of his nose, letting out a very long breath of air.

"I do not understand your sense of humor," Cas said as Sam's laughing came to a slight stop, continuously wiping tears from his eyes as Dean tried his hardest not to look embarrassed. Dean nearly growled in agitation, kicking Sam's foot. Sam didn't seem to care as he fell to the couch, still red, and opened his laptop.

"So anyway Cas," he began, watching as Cas looked towards Dean with confusion, although Dean would not meet his eyes. "I uh... have some info," Sam, who still looked extremely amused by Cas's cluelessness and Dean's embarrassment.

"Perfect. I have... also acquired some information," Cas said, hesitating slightly at how quickly Sam seemed to change emotions.

Cas and Sam talked for a good half an hour about details, Dean interrupting with helpful (and generally unhelpful) comments. Dean felt that, after a half an hour, they had already figured out most of what they needed to know. The conversation droned for hours with statistics, facts, unhelpful information, and bad jokes courtesy of Dean.

"So get this; whoever is doing this might be a familiar with this town... since the patterns are indefinite," Sam said, Cas shooting a confused look his way.

"I don't quite understand; I thought we established that the abductions appeared to be annual-"

"Annual, yes. However, there is no specified date. It happens whenever. Once a year. At any given time," Sam said,

"How does that imply the point you're attempting to confirm?" Cas asked dubiously.

"It doesn't... necessarily," Sam paused a moment to look back down at his computer, "but the victims are undefined. And each abduction seems to have something in common," Sam said.

"What?" Dean and Cas asked at the same time.

"According the a police officers, there was no forced entry or lock picking," Sam said. Dean and Cas exchanged glances, then looked back at Sam.

"So?"

"All the doors were locked the night of the break in," he continued, raising his eyebrows for effect.

"So... that means..."

"The killer was familiar enough to know where the keys were. Or how to copy the key."

Dean began to comment when he heard a noise in the distance that sounded all too familiar. Sam registered it too, both Dean and Sam shrinking slightly as they walked towards the window.

They could never be sure if the cops were coming for them, or if somehow, it had to do with them. But this time was different. The police car was going too fast to be going after them.

The siren got louder and louder, until it whizzed right past the house. Sam and Dean craned their necks to see where the police car was going, but it did not go much farther.

It stopped about a block away.


	8. Chapter Eight

_A/N: Hey guys! I am so sorry for the late update! School and my other fic were occupying my time and honestly that's about as good as my excuse can get. So thank you if you do read/review/follow or favorite this and sorry again for lateness!_

* * *

A few moments in absolute silence, waiting for the door to open and for Cas to lay down the details of just what exactly was happening. Sam and Dean sat, near paralyzed, by their new revelation. It had already been a good twenty minutes and Cas still hadn't returned. Neither of the Winchester brothers had said a word yet until finally Sam cleared his throat.

"Dean, what if Cas tells them we're here?" Sam asked nervously, looking every so often towards the door and the windows. Dean sighed, shrugging.

"I think we've had a good run," Dean said, half joking and half serious. Sam did not seem pleased with this answer.

"I mean it Dean. What if he accidentally lets it slip about us?"

"He doesn't know anything about us and neither will the police officer," Dean said surely, shrugging again for an extra measure, "and besides, Cas doesn't seem to be much of a chatty Cathy anyway."

A few moments later and the door swung open, both Sam and Dean sitting up immediately to hear what he had to say. Cas looked somewhat frazzled, confused, and nearly emotional by the whole event, but still not quite. He didn't speak for a few moments, and Dean got up from his sitting position to stand closer to Cas, as if to coax the information out of him.

"Well, what happened?" Dean watched Cas carefully as his blue eyes sparkled under the bright living room lights, contradicting the darkness outside. Contradicting the eerie feeling connected with the whole house. Cas looked towards Dean first, the smallest sliver of true- _what was it, fear? Confusion? What was it, damnit!- _emotion, then it soon glazed over as he looked towards something across the room.

"Female. Age around eighteen years," Cas swallowed something down, squinting, "Gina."

Dean let this settle in, then his eyes widened in fear. As soon as Sam registered the name, he began to shake his head.

"_Gina?" _Dean said, complete horror traveling through him from his toes to his head. _How had this happened? How was this happening? _

"Yes," Cas said blankly. And in that moment, the funniest thing happened. Tears slipped down his cheek in silence. Not a sniffle or a sob to be heard. Dean let his wind wander to how someone could be unemotional yet somehow... so affected by everything. So vulnerable.

Dean didn't think for a few moments. He just took Cas's shoulder- the shoulder to a guy he'd only know for a couple days- and hugged him as tightly as he could. He closed his eyes and allowed those tears to slip onto his jacket. He could feel Cas so nearly crumple into Dean's grip, to almost ease himself into the hug. But before Dean could accept it, Cas pulled himself stiff again and gently pushed Dean away, wiping a quick hand across his eyes and clearing his throat.

"The house had similar features to that of our other researched houses. Police officers say there was no forced entry, no signs of lock picking... and no sign of where she disappeared to. A neighbor... said that he heard a yell for help and a gunshot and when he went to see what the occurrence was he was met with nothing. Oddly enough, these events were all within a minute of each other," Cas paused, as if to take a breath, but another tear trickled down his cheek and he sat down, wiping at his eye again.

"Cas are... are you alright?" Dean asked after a few seconds of exchanging a glance with Sam. Sam shrugged his shoulders, sitting across from Cas and looking at him with concern.

"I'm fine, Dean," Cas said, giving a smile that did not meet his eyes nor meet his words. He kept wiping away tears but it seemed near robotic, as if he had no feeling yet some part of him knew that he was supposed to feel sad.

"Hey look buddy, I believe you... I do," Dean said, sitting down besides Cas and placing a hand on his shoulder, "but I just think maybe you should take a moment to digest this, alright? It can't be healthy to just numb your way through it."

Cas did not look at Dean, but he looked at the hand on his shoulder. He seemed suspicious of the hand almost, then his dewy eyes met Dean's. He grabbed Dean's arm and pulled him next to him. His face displayed no intentions, but something about his gestures begged to explain a reason for these movements.

No one spoke, but Sam typed furiously away on his laptop as Cas's head dropped onto Dean's shoulder. The moment this happened everything stopped. Dean's heart stopped, Cas's tears stopped, everyone's movement stopped except for Sam's steady typing on his computer. Dean could feel his fingertips tingle with some sort of excitement... something felt different about this. He didn't want to think about why this felt different, and he sure as hell wasn't ready to get into such a difficult subject when the person who was struggling right now was Cas.

Cas lie motionless with his head on Dean's shoulder. He sniffed after a few moments, and then the tears returned. Dean patted his back soothingly, completely unaware of what he was doing.

"Look, hey," he said after a few moments, turning Cas towards him as Cas turned his head away, not wanting Dean's attention, "we're going to find Gina. I promise."

Cas nodded feebly, and Dean sprung right into action, grabbing Cas's laptop and typing alongside Sam.

"What have we got so far?" he asked. Sam shook his head, his eyes staying on the screen.

"What I don't understand is why these two specific people disappeared... not to mention that I thought there was only one victim a year," Sam said, shaking his head and muttering something under his breath.

"There might possibly be one explanation," Cas said from across the room, looking out the window at something, "there was one year where two victims disappeared."

Sam and Dean were silent.

"The video tape I showed you... was of two people," Cas said, his eyebrows crinkled together. The same expression was dawned by Sam, until he finally seemed to realize just what exactly he had missed.

"Damn," he said after a second, shaking his head to himself. He then began to type and moved to a small coffee table so both Dean and Cas could see what he was searching. He opened up his bookmarks and opened up a pair of articles.

"I can't believe I missed this," he said to himself.

"What?" Dean and Cas said simultaneously, exchanging glances. Sam opened the articles, his eyes skimming the pages, then pointing towards something. Dean and Cas squinted to read the tiny print.

"A man disappeared this week... his daughter not long after..." Dean read out loud to himself, then his eyes widened. Sam clicked on the other article, pointing at another pair of words. Another article and another article until finally the point was emphasized enough.

"So get this..." Sam said, closing his laptop and putting his hands out, "_two _victims."

"How did we miss this, though?" Dean asked, "I mean, it's one hell of a deal breaker."

"Because these victims disappeared after the first victim, and it was either written off or unimportant or... the second victims were "linked" to the first victims. And when we ruled one victim, we had only read these articles and not their follow ups."

"So you're saying... that these people disappeared after but it's still a yearly thing? _Two _people annually? Isn't that kind of a huge deal... why hasn't the police station recognized this pattern?" Dean asked in outrage, unsure of what to compute of the situation.

"The police station is aware," Cas responded, "they just don't mention it in public. It is a unrecognized subject in our town."

"Why?" Dean asked, still angry.

"Because no one has ever caught this person. This person has been gathering victims over twelve years and the police have no leads, no possible breaks in the case... and no way of knowing the exact date the crime will be committed."

Dean, Sam, and Cas both shared a glance at the computer, then at each other.

"Well then," Dean said, softly, "I guess we've got work to do."


End file.
